1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to caskets and burial vaults for the interment of human or animal remains, and is particularly concerned with a combined casket and burial vault assembly which provides an improved sealing arrangement between the casket lid and casket body and individual stackability of the non-reusable components of the assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Burial caskets of the type which are in common use at the present time are generally heavy, bulky structures made of wood or metal and fitted with a great deal of elaborate ornamentation. The use of burial caskets of this type is rather uneconomical, not only because of the materials usually used in the construction of the casket body itself, but also because of the expensive ornamentation which, not being removable, must be buried with the casket. From the standpoint of the funeral home, moreover, burial caskets of this type are difficult to store because of their large size and their inability to be conveniently disassembled. For this reason, a great deal of space is ordinarily required in order to maintain an adequate supply of caskets in stock. A further complication arises from the fact that, due to the inability of some types of burial caskets to be sealed completedly or to withstand the soil loads of interment, the casket must be placed in a massive burial vault made of concrete or some other suitable material.
In an effort to reduce the high costs associated with conventional types of burial caskets, designs have been proposed for caskets made of fiberglass and other lightweight materials. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,545,055 and Canadian Pat. No. 787,062. The problem with these designs, however, is that they lack provision for the stylized ornamentation normally associated with traditional caskets and therefore, present a rather plain appearance which may not be pleasing to the purchaser.
In still another attempt to reduce the expense of conventional burial caskets, it has been proposed that the functions of the casket and burial vault may be combined in one unit. U.S. Pat. No. 3,172,183, for example, discloses a combined casket and burial vault of fiberglass construction which consists of three pieces, namely, a top shell half, a bottom shell half, and a cradle support member. The top and bottom shell halves are joined in a peripheral tongue and groove sealing arrangement which requires a sealant to cement the two pieces together. A disadvantage of this design, however, is that it requires a separate cradle member for additional support against the heavy soil loads of interment. Moreover, the shell design does not provide for the usual ornamental handles or other decorative hardware that is normally desired by purchasers of burial caskets.
A more recent proposal along these lines can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,929. This patent discloses a display and burial containment system consisting of a combined casket and burial vault and a reusable three-sided display unit, all of molded fiberglass construction. Ornamental hardware is attached to the reusable display unit, thereby eliminating the need to inter the ornamentation along with the casket. However, because of the three-sided construction of the display unit, it is not well suited for use by pallbearers in carrying the casket from place to place. Moreover, the design requires four separate component parts in order to prepare the casket and burial vault for interment, namely, the casket or display container per se, a structural outer base, and first and second cover units, and also requires a sealant to cement the four pieces together.
To date, casket designs which use fiberglass or other lightweight materials, or which combine the functions of display casket and burial vault, have met with only limited acceptance in spite of their reduced expense. What is required is a combined casket and burial vault assembly which not only can be constructed of fiberglass or other lightweight and inexpensive materials, but which also provides for the desired degree of ornamental hardware. Moreover, the assembly should require only a minimum number of separate components, and should not rely exclusively on a sealant or adhesive material in order to prepare the assembly for interment.